The Bremen-based equipment specialist Multiplex is celebrating its 40th anniversary. What began as a start-up rooted in offshore racing has grown into one of the yachting industry’s best-known suppliers of carbon components and bespoke superyacht equipment.
From handcrafted carbon rudder blades developed for offshore racing yachts in the early 1980s to advanced boarding and shading systems for some of the world’s largest superyachts, Multiplex has built its reputation on engineering expertise, craftsmanship and a clear focus on quality.
Founded in Bremen by yacht builder and sailor Jan Reiners, the company remains firmly anchored in Northern Germany. Production continues under “Made in Germany” standards, while the business has developed into a long-standing partner for leading shipyards, designers and yacht owners worldwide.
According to the company, around 75% of the world’s largest yachts are equipped with Multiplex products. A notable figure for a business employing around 25 highly specialised staff. For founder Jan Reiners, however, scale was never the original ambition.
“Like many good things, Multiplex didn’t begin with a grand business plan,” says Reiners. “It started with passion, craftsmanship and sailing. We simply focused on solving problems better than anyone else and on building products with the highest possible standards of quality and reliability.”
The roots of the company lie in competitive offshore sailing. After training as a boatbuilder on the Baltic coast, Reiners became involved in the demanding world of racing yachts, where lightweight construction, structural strength and precision engineering are essential.
“Racing teaches you honesty,” Reiners explains. “The sea doesn’t care about marketing claims — only whether something works.”
At a time when aluminium still dominated high-performance yacht construction, Reiners began experimenting with carbon fibre during Admiral’s Cup campaigns. One of the company’s first milestones was the development of a carbon rudder blade for the racing yacht “Outsider”, considered a bold concept at the time. Its success reinforced the belief that carbon fibre would play a far greater role in yachtbuilding beyond the racing circuit.
That early innovation laid the foundation for a steadily expanding product range. Carbon rudder blades were followed by spinnaker poles, gangways and, eventually, the boarding and shading systems for which multiplex is best known today.
The current portfolio includes products such as “Sun Awning”, “Multiflap”, “Multistep”, “Multistair”, “Multiguard”, “Multistan”, “Multiladder” and “Multifender”. Custom developments include privacy shields, cinema systems and even sports courts.
Many of these solutions emerged directly from customer requirements rather than from predefined product strategies.
“Every yacht and every project teaches us something new,” concludes Reiners. “As long as there are challenges to solve — lighter, stronger, safer, more elegant — Multiplex will continue to evolve. Carbon is not just a material for us. It’s part of our DNA.”
